Poetry: Day 3; Slam Poetry Collaborative Project

Please submit your poetry draft for writing credit in our Google classroom.

Let's start by writing today. Here are two prompts:

• Watch the following video performance Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou (write a poem draft for 5 minutes about something phenomenal, or write an ode praising women (or yourself). Or pick something that isn't often praised or celebrated and write an ode celebrating/praising it.
• Watch the following video performance What a Teacher Makes by Taylor Mali; write a poem about What a ______ makes (choose an occupation that doesn't get the credit or attention it should, or write about a favorite teacher you once had)--write a draft relatively quickly (about 5 minutes).

Poetry Reading/Performance: Please select 1 poem from the collection you are reading (your favorite poem from the collection) and we will read these out loud to the rest of our class. Take 5-10 minutes to select and prepare your chosen poem. When called, please come to the front of class and read the poem you selected out loud to the rest of us. Remember that effective performances include volume, eye-contact, gestures (if possible), and energy! Match the TONE of your voice with the TONE of the poem.

Period 4:

Slam Project.

Find a single partner to work with on this assignment. Please complete the following tasks:

#1: Learn some poetry terms*. Check the link and together, with your partner, divide up the definition for the following poetry terms (equally, that's 10 terms each). Write these definitions in your journal--and then plan to use some of them in your writing for this project. The list of poetic devices includes:

• Alliteration
• Allusion
• Anthropomorphism
• Assonance
• Chiasmus
• Connotation
• Epistrophe
• Euphemism
• Hyperbole
• Imagery
• Juxtaposition
• Litote
• Malapropism
• Metonymy
• Onomatopoeia
• Oxymoron
• Rhyme Scheme
• Synecdoche
• Synonym
• Verisimilitude

These 3 terms you don't need to write a definition for, but you should plan to use them in your poetry draft:

• Simile, metaphor, repetition

*There may be a test on these terms when you return from Regents testing week. 

#2: Look through the following pages on the action pages for this site. There are 3 pages. Pick a topic with your partner and learn how to write a slam poem of that type. See the models each topic gives you when you click the linked page for further details. Or choose your own topic after viewing some of these examples.

#3: Read the handout tips for poetry. Take this advice as you draft your slam poem.

#4: Together with your partner, write a draft of your slam poem. 

We will discuss the rubric for this project next class. Your goal today is to learn some poetry terms, choose a topic to write about, and begin writing your draft.

HOMEWORK: Finish reading your poetry collection. Write your slam poetry draft. Refer to any of these linked sources you did not get a chance to view during class. The more you learn, the easier it will be to write your poem draft. 

EXTRA CREDIT: If you have poem drafts that you completed today in class (or ones you have not submitted), you may submit these to our Google Classroom for your writing portfolio.